Or can it? Our supposed land of plenty is darkened with a shadow. Emerging from this black shade is the face of hunger, and it reflects the suffering of 49 million americans. Feeding America, the largest domestic hunger-relief organization, is…
The Canned Food Alliance (CFA), an organization comprised of can makers, steel manufacturers and select food processors, celebrates 200 years of the can. Most people take this packaging item for granted, but that doesn’t diminish its impact on the world,…
Once of interest mainly to bodybuilders, protein has assumed global importance. A vital macronutrient, protein will help feed an increasingly overcrowded and hungry world. Appropriately, protein producers address challenges related to environment, rising population and costs. As such, the once-dominant…
The frozen food industry was founded on the principle of safely preserving healthy food. Today’s frozen food companies seek to remain true to that proud heritage.
What underlies Australia’s recent crop contamination event? Was it merely the malicious deed of a maladjusted misfit? Or did the events represent a well-concerted effort of a terrorist organization, or (perhaps most frightening) a deliberate poisoning-for-profit? While this target was…
In 2009, amidst the world economic crisis, Arcos Dorados, the largest restaurant operator in Latin America and the most important McDonald’s franchise in the world, hit an all-time record in sales. Rachel Hartman takes a look at this growing company…
As one of the few worker-owned companies in Mexico with a strong national presence, Sociedad Cooperativa Trabajadores de Pascual, S.C.L. specializes in the production of fruit juices, soft drinks, and bottled water. Rachel Hartman delves into this company’s intriguing past…
When it comes Canadian milk production, few do it better than Agropur Division Natrel. An integral part of a national dairy cooperative, the innovative Quebec-based organization addresses consumer needs and concerns – as evidenced by its fortified and organic products.…
Southern Comfort®, the leading whiskey liqueur made by wine and spirits manufacturer Brown-Forman Corp., sports a new look for the 21st century. David Soyka tastes the “big easy” which comes in a new and simplified package.
Boasting instant brand recognition and a product that just won’t quit, Brazil’s Coca-Cola Guararapes has it made. And yet, the Recife-based beverage manufacturer and distributor is hardly coasting on its reputation. instead it’s creating new strategies, pioneering packaging solutions, and…
Chalifoux Dairy is a regional Quebec milk producer and maker of specialty cheeses. David Soyka reports on how this fourth generation family-owned business utilizes high technology to make fine cheeses.
When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true. It sounds corny, but it happens. Ask Hossein Hagigholam, founder of Mamacita’s Mexican Restaurants. The Iranian immigrant bought into the “American Dream” and became a successful entrepreneur. Dan Harvey serves…
Coffee will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no coffee. Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee Inc. knows. That’s why the Canadian company takes great care with its highly desirable commodity,…
Washington Mills continues to serve a market that underpins many of the steel-based industries. Marianne Sullivan explores how this oldest and only remaining U.S. manufacturer of aluminum oxide and silicon carbide in the country has endured.
In the early 1990s, dentists were relying on traditional radiography systems – reliable but slow. Then came Schick Technologies and with its own unique resourcefulness, invented a digital x-ray sensor. As Lorie Greenspan reports, the visit to the dentist’s office…
LB International‘ (LBI) designs, engineers, manufactures, integrates, and installs material handling solutions and equipment to improve efficiency in production, warehousing, and distribution. Barbara Kram files a moving story.
ABB Vetco Gray launched a $72 million effort five years ago to transform its manufacturing facilities into lean production centers. The result of the modernization effort has resulted in a veritable tooling and IT revolution and has helped the company…
The Agricultural Division of the Alamo Group is comprised of some of the most well known names in the history of agricultural equipment production. M&W and Rhino brands have helped generations of farmers till the earth, as Lorie Greenspan discovers.
Lorie Greenspan communicates the story of a new company employing newer technologies to allow greater mobility, speed and accuracy, ultimately satisfying the faster pace of doing business around the corner or across the globe.
Why did Ford Motor Co. implement Ice Blast as a means to cleanprecision gears? All it took was one demonstration from Universal Ice Blast. As Lorie Greenspan reports, all systems now are go for the Washington-based company as it proves…
Harman Musical Group manufactures technology that makes the world’s biggest rock stars sound better. Mark McSherry finds out how innovation keeps Harman ahead of the pack.
Lorie Greenspan discovers how Gala Industries Inc. has taken baby steps – and then giant leaps - over the last half century to achieve a high level of success in the production of underwater pelletizing and centrifugal dryer systems.
As Jean Thilmany reports, Inco, Inc. does it all – from hazardous materials cleanup to heavy lifting and building with all many stops in between.
In the Bostik Findley Construction and Distribution Division, sealant and adhesive technology has been advanced well beyond the competition’s. Lorie Greenspan tells the story of a company with the stick-to-it-tiveness to consistently re-invent its product base to offer better and…
Red Spot Paint & Varnish Co. Inc. is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year – a credit to the ability of this Evansville, Ind., company to change with the times. William Bunch reports how a retail paint company was transformed…
Gloria P. Cahill looks at the glass products made by GTC International, a leading manufacturer of mirrors, glass tile, tempered glass cutting boards and framed art.
Mark Devaney reports on Master Spas, the industry leader in innovations that lead to satisfied and relaxed customers around the country.
A portion of Mississippi Highway 493 is named after the founder and CEO of symbolizes is not only a rock solid economic base for the region, young entrepreneurs – a spirit that endures with Meridian-based Peavey Electronics Corporation. What Hartley…
After five years and some trial and error, Victory Motorcycles is the most successful American start-up in that industry in decades. William Bunch reports on how the Minnesota-based firm, a new division of the $1.5-billion Polaris industries, is taking the…
Simmons Foods, Inc. has developed a processing business that can move a chicken from the farm to the table. High-tech capabilities and innovations have enabled this small processor to carve out its own niche. Marianne Sullivan takes a look at…
Have you ever heard of a car with a continuously variable transmission? If you haven’t, you will soon – thanks to Ohio-based ZF Batavia, a joint venture of Germany’s ZF group and the Ford Motor Company. As William Bunch reports,…
This company’s name tells the whole story. No. 1 in delivering superior kitting assemblies to the engine overhaul market, the company also wrote the book on lean distribution. April Terreri supplies the lean-and-mean story.
What Clyde Ensor began in 1946 his children and grandchildren have taken into the 21st century. And the business of remanufacturing automotive parts became a global concern, setting standards along the way, as Lorie Greenspan discovers.
Crimson Fire is a recently created force in the manufacturing of fire-fighting trucks and apparatus. The two firms that merged to form the new company have more than 130 years experience of making fire equipment between them, writes Mark McSherry.
NYX/ Bates, LLC, a tier-one supplier of under-hood sub-systems to the automotive industry, was launched by the Bates brothers as a two-man poperation in 1974. Today, Bates has 750 employees and sales of $72 million. Mark McSherry finds out how…
In Spartanburg, S.C., BMW’s Z4 roadster and X5 sports activity vehicle have not only become the most popular vehicles on the road but have promoted a deep relationship between OEM, suppliers and everyday people. Lorie Greenspan discovers how BMW Manufacturing…
A scrappy Philadelphia company called Alliance Remanufacturing wants to be nothing less than the Dell Computer of the rebuilt auto-parts world. As William Bunch learned, the firm is also an innovator in metals technology, developing a process to reduce air…
